Squires Have Put In The Work, Looking Forward To 2019
Squires Have Put In The Work, Looking Forward To 2019
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Mark Howe-
Squires Have Put In The Work, Looking Forward To 2019NORTH MANCHESTER – Head coach Greg Miller has been putting his Manchester football team through its paces this offseason in the expectation that the combination of hard work and experience will pay off.
Miller talked about having plenty of both at both the skill positions and in the trenches.
“Devin Markham will be in his second year at quarterback, and with a year under his belt and the summer he's had that we'll be better for that effort,” Miller said. “We've done some things this summer at Manchester University with 11-on-11 scrimmages, and some 7-on-7 work, and I've been really impressed with how Devin's run our offense.
“We have big line returning. Keegan Shockome and Bryce Kamphues will be at the guard spots, Chase Miller was out last year with a shoulder injury, so we moved him to center. We'll have Johnny England and Jason Miller leading a group to play at tackle. We have a lot of big boys who can give Devin some time to throw, and that will also alow us to get a running game started.
There are a few concerns for Miller regarding the offensive backfield. But he’s pleased with the receiving corps Markham will have for targets.
“Running back is someplace we have a lot of competition for right now,” the coach said. “Peyton Addair and Sam Martindale are fighting for those spots.
“We’re really athletic and deep with our receivers, and we’re excited about that. Trey Clark is back and he's been a two-time all conference player. Tyler Andritsch had a lot of time last year. Ty Rooney got a lot of defensive playing time last year and has been catching the ball well.
“Kreeden Krull played his freshman year, and came back out this year as a senior. He's played a lot of basketball for us, and he's going to play tight end for us this season. Seth Garete played a lot as a freshman, and he's going to play the slot receiver for us.
One of the luxuries Miller and the Squires plan to employ this season is the use of depth.
“We have got a lot of bodies out there competing for spots, and that's a good problem to have,” Miller said. “Offensively we're feeling good about where we are. We've had a good summer and our preseason practices have been really good; the kids have worked hard. It's good that we have enough experience that we don't have to start back at ground zero.
“Defensively, We've got enough guys that we can keep people fresh and we'll have a lot of guys get some playing time so we can keep fresh bodies out there. We plan to have it so we're not wearing out our offensive guys on defense.
“We have 54 kids out, and a big freshman class. There are a lot of experienced guys out there, and we expect those guys to lead so when it's time, the underclassmen can fill those shoes.”
Regardless of the final record, Miller believes the Squire players have set themselves up for a strong future with their work ethic and commitment to one another.
"Our kids are great kids. Won-loss records, those come and go. We're here to win games, and we all know that,” the coach said.
“Our seniors came out with a list of five goals they want to accomplish. We'll keep those in-house, but we're going to work put check marks by each of those every game and at the end of the year when we have more check marks than not, then we'll consider that a success.”
